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Semester Classes

Foto: Miriam Prüßner

Regular Semester Classes

The International Undergraduate Study Program (IUSP) takes courses from the university's regular course catalogue. Usually, classes take place two hours per week.Important: Each class, whether held in English or German, is being supported by tutorials (obligatory!) in English with four hours per week, especially for IUSP students. In the tutorials, students are working up the contents of the lecture, not only of the first eight weeks the IUSP participants are staying, but also the contents of the second half of the German semester. In addition, the tutors work more deeply on the topic with the students and deepen their knowledge.

The IUSP students give presentations and write essays on the topics according to the respective class and tutorial. Generally, marks are given for oral work (presentations, performance in class etc.) and written work (reports, bibliographies, homework, essays etc.).

Class Choice:We are adding classes as they come in from the professors, and will start publishing classes from December on for the Spring semester, and from July on for the Fall semester.* As soon as the list will be complete, we will notify all students, and ask for their class choice in an email. We will ask for their final decision after their arrival in Marburg. Only students with the language level B1.1 and above can enroll for classes held in German.

Note on Class AttendancePlease bear in mind that attendance is required in order to receive credit for IUSP classes. Failure to attend classes can result in grade cuts and/or a grade not being issued to you if you do not attend classes regularly. IUSP students do not have the option of simply sitting for the exam at the end of the semester without having attended classes. Health issues and other serious reasons for missing lectures are, of course, another matter. Please keep your teacher and/or the IUSP staff informed if you are unable to attend lectures.

*Please note:Generally speaking, class descriptions are posted online later than what many colleges and universities outside of Germany are accustomed to. The reason for this lies in the differing academic calendars. The classes for the spring semester in Marburg are published in January; classes for the fall semester in Marburg are published in July. We recommend looking at classes from the previous academic year to get a feel for what classes will be offered in the corresponding semester of the current academic year. In most subject areas, similar courses are offered on a rotating basis one time each academic year. We do not offer the same classes every year/semester. Introductory-level courses, however, are generally repeated. Browsing through past catalogues can be helpful in giving you an idea of what courses may be offered and what courses may be counted towards your degree.The descriptions in the class list are taken from our university course catalogue. It can be accessed, if of interest, through the word "Vorlesungsverzeichnis" in the menu of "Direkt-links" in the upper right corner of this page. By choosing the respective semester the original description can be found.

Day & Time: Considering the regular schedule of the IUSP-program, a first appointment with the participants will be arranged via email.

Pre-requisites: Basic knowledge of financial accounting and/or corporate financing is helpful, but not required.Participants should, however, be interested in the economic analysis on firm and/or country level.

Course description:In the last years countries around the world have either adopted the capital marketoriented International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or adjusted their national standards accordingly. As the IFRS are deeply linked to a corporate governance system typical for the US or Great Britain companies are supposed to be primarily financed by equity and/or debt offered on well-developed capital markets, employed managers (and not the equity holders themselves) manage companies, decisions of and in firms are typically made with a strict reference to market parameters, ownership is characterized by high rates of free float and labor markets are characterized by a “hire and fire”-philosophy. Against this background the question arises if and in how far this model of corporate governance is suitable for other countries, in particular in Europa and Asia, as financing patterns and the institutional environment in those countries are different in many ways. Based on samples of the 100 biggest corporations from different countries, given annual reports as the main “database”and a prepared checklist for the analysis participants are supposed to analyze the financing patterns and the capital market environment empirically to derive and discussimplications for the standardsetting process. Thus the main question is: Are capital market-based accounting standards suitable for economies around the world?Participants can either work individually or in groups of up to three students. The results of the individual or joint work have to be presented at different stages of the projectand a short final essay has to be handed in.

Day & Time: Considering the regular schedule of the IUSP-program, a first appointment with the participants will be arranged via email.

Pre-requisites: Due to the variety of topics specific skills / knowledge are / is not required in advance. Participants should, however, be interested in the economic analysis on firm and/or country level.

Course description:Driven by the idea that national corporate governance systems differ due to several path dependencies such as different cultures, traditions etc. the seminar aims at exploringthose differences by an empirical analysis of selected topics from the field of “comparative corporate governance”. Based on samples of the 100 biggest corporations from countries around the world, given annual reports as the main “database” and a prepared checklist for the analysis participants are supposed to do joint work in groups of up to three students. Topics include a wide variety of issues such as ownership and control, financing patterns, the use of capital market institutions, board structure, corporate social responsibility-mechanisms, corporate governance codices and manager compensation. The results of the joint work have to be presented at different stages of the project and a short final essay has to be handed in. Assistance will be given on a regular basis.

Day & Time: Considering the regular schedule of the IUSP-program, a first appointment with the participants will be arranged via email.

Pre-requisites: Participants should have some basic knowledge of corporate finance.

Course description:Since the mid-1990s, capital market-orientation seems to be the guiding principle of legal reforms as well as of scientific research. The seminar aims to examine the capitalmarket-orientation of large enterprises in Europe based on selected indicators (namely institutional activism, share repurchases and hostile takeovers). Participantsare supposed to perform an empirical study as a content analysis relying on annual reports and related sources. An appropriate template for a structured analysis is providedfor by the chair. Starting with a short theoretical introduction the results of the analysis have to be made up in a report (term paper) and are to be presented at differentstages of the project in the seminar. Participants are supposed to do joint work in groups of up to three students. Assistance will be given on a regular basis.

Day & Time: Considering the regular schedule of the IUSP-program, a first appointment with the participants will be arranged via email.

Pre-requisites: Participants should have some basic knowledge of corporate finance.

Course description:The valuation of firms is one of the most difficult tasks in “practical business” as the valuation has to account for uncertainty concerning the future cash flows as well asthe cost of capital. The course deals with the theorectical and practical problems of such a valuation process based on a real world case study from the global telecommunicationindustry. Topics include a variety of issues such as the derivation of a future firm strategy, the evaluation of management forecasts, the estimation of firm cash flows and the capital market-based determination of the cost of equity and debt. Participants are supposed to do joint work in groups of up to three students. The results of the joint work have to be presented at different stages of the project and a short final essay has to be handed in. Assistance will be given on a regular basis.

Day & Time: Considering the regular schedule of the IUSP-program, a first appointment with the participants will be arranged via email.

Pre-requisites: Due to the variety of topics specific skills / knowledge are / is not required in ad-vance. Participants should, however, be interested in the economic analysis on firm and/or country level.

Course description:Driven by the idea that economic systems differ due to several path dependencies such as different cultures, traditions etc. the seminar aims at exploring differences in managerial remuneration and its consequences for firm performance. Based on samples of the 100 biggest corporations from countries around the world, given an-nual reports as the main “database” and a prepared checklist for the analysis partici-pants are supposed to do joint work in groups of up to three students. Topics include a wide variety of renumeration issues, particularly different compensation structures as well as different degrees of capital market-orientation. The results of the joint work have to be presented at different stages of the project and a short final essay has to be handed in. Assistance will be given on a regular basis.

This course is intended as an introduction to basic economic systems and concepts followed by a comprehensive overview of the economies of the region. The goal is to provide students with a solid basis and understanding of the economies of the region and equip them to analyze these in an objective critical manner.

The course is designed to equip students with the necessary tools that would allow them to think and analyze economic problems witnessed in the MENA region in a systematic theory based approach.

After attending the course, participants should be able to make educated comments on ongoing economic discussions in the region.

100% of the Grade depends on your performance in the final written exam (60 minutes).

Subject: Sociology

German Conversation Classes

The main goal of our Conversation Classes is to improve students' ability to communicate and interact in German. The classes focus on teaching students conversational techniques and strategies, improving students’ listening abilities, and strengthening students’ grasp of German grammar and vocabulary. The conversation classes will have the same language levels as the intensive German language classes.